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Should Bronze tier have access to Galleries (1 or 2 invites per year)

Should Bronze tier have access to Galleries (1 or 2 invites per year)

Old May 21, 2018, 12:07 pm
  #61  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
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If Bronze are given lounge access it will inevitably lead to complaints from silver and gold's about their differentials being eroded.

Maybe you could offer them either lounge access or a free upgrade, and then we will see how desperate they are to try the lounge.
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Old May 21, 2018, 12:47 pm
  #62  
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Originally Posted by Agent69
Maybe you could offer them […] or a free upgrade
Which silver and golds with less than 2500 TPs do not get? Seriously?!

Not to mention that an upgrade (unless used for Y->W would obviously mean lounge access so they'd be pretty stupid to choose lounge access alone instead of upgrade that would come with lounge access...
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Old May 21, 2018, 1:00 pm
  #63  
 
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No.

I find myself in the similar situation to this:

Originally Posted by Ancient Observer
As a very much ex-gold, who now flies with the cheapest available airline, I used to quite like using the lounges. However, now I have no lounge access, I feel no need for it at all. I just go to my preferred coffee bar in each airport, and am quite happy there. With the distinct advantage that you seldom get morons walking around trying to look impressive with their phones on loudspeaker.

If/when I do travel J/CE, I will use the lounge, which partly undermines what I say above!!
although I have never been Gold.

I will drop to Bronze in January 2019 due to reduced BA flying but will not really miss the GC lounges, a few of my non-BA flights this year have meant waiting in airport cafes which havent been too bad (its what I used to do years ago before Silver) and I might get a Priority Pass instead.
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Old May 21, 2018, 2:09 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by Lefly
I'm sorry, but unless I missed something - or I did not understand your post - BA Bronze is OW Ruby, and that gives business check-in privileges alliance wide.
And of course dummy me takes the one example where a low level benefit applies alliance wide. You are correct. My example was an exception but my point is still valid: low level tier benefits usually apply only to the FFP metal, not alliance wide.
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Old May 21, 2018, 11:59 pm
  #65  
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Originally Posted by DYKWIA
Are they?

No doubt you're a GGL who always travels on expensive tickets...
I don't know about "expensive" but yes, my travel policy is F/J. Though that's beside the point: the point being that BA are considering changes to lounge access on HBO tickets and suchlike.
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Old May 22, 2018, 1:06 am
  #66  
 
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For me at least, a couple of lounge passes annually might make me choose to fly BA more. I'm *S with Turkish and Silver with Etihad (economy warrior), both of which are comparable to BA Bronze in my opinion, and for which I get a basic lounge in AUH and the one in IST. Turkish also grant lounge access if I fly domestic Turkish - so basically, for the same tiers on other airlines, I am getting lounge access at their primary base of operations only. I've utilised these about once a year.

Having graced GF and Galleries in LHR once or twice, they were both jam packed and I can see why you wouldn't want to open the floodgates to even more people. Nonetheless, the fact that BA Bronze gives me naff all that I care about (I couldn't care less about business check-in or priority boarding - it doesn't get me to my destination quicker) does mean I prioritise other airlines with my spend over BA - there is no incentive to fly more with BA as a Bronze unless I'm likely to make Silver, and as I don't fly premium cabins much, that isn't likely to happen. Equally, I probably don't contribute much to BA's margins so I suspect there is no love lost on either side.
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Old May 22, 2018, 1:19 am
  #67  
 
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The benefit I really value from status is priority check-in - if you're at an Asian airport with a massive queue for economy check-in it saves a lot of time. Priority boarding helps me travel HBO with confidence I can stow my bag. It's funny how perceptions are different.

On the other hand, lounge access gives a drink and a cheap meal, in outstations it's usually not a great spread, I will always use it for convenience and a bit of swagger factor, but as people have mentioned, for 20 (and probably expensed) you can have a perfectly acceptable lounge equivalent in a bar or caf - this is what I do if I travel on a LCC or other airline. I suspect it's the "they're allowed in and I'm not" syndrome coming into play, which is status working as it should.

And personally, I wouldn't go unless Ringo was given a 20 minute solo spot. He's much underrated both as a drummer and a singer.
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Old May 22, 2018, 1:28 am
  #68  
 
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CX gives lounge access to their Silvers OW Ruby equivalent, but their lounge offering is usually much larger than BAs and the benefit does not extend to other OW Rubys.
I would allow Bronze to use avios to get into the lounge, it would be also a financially sound option for BA so they can polverise Avios wallets of clients that hardly accrue enough to spend on flights, leaving many small wallets with unused avios which put pressure on the balance sheet until they expire.

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Old May 22, 2018, 1:33 am
  #69  
 
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The lounge overcrowding and break from Oneworld policy would bother me.

But the earlier temptation and nurture of new Bronze customers to spend more seems like a good idea. Eurostar did something similar for new Carter Classique (old scheme) giving 2x 10 minute check-in vouchers - a primary benefit. That was good, and incentivised me to seek Carte Blanche status sooner.

I wonder whether the real unlock of spend here would be giving select Silver members a pass or two through First Wing.
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Old May 22, 2018, 3:25 am
  #70  
 
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Originally Posted by fransknorge


And of course dummy me takes the one example where a low level benefit applies alliance wide. You are correct. My example was an exception but my point is still valid: low level tier benefits usually apply only to the FFP metal, not alliance wide.
I always find it odd that with BA Bronze you can get a free hold bag in economy on AA domestic flights due to being OW Ruby but not BA. A case of a better benefit than the home FFP.
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Old May 22, 2018, 3:33 am
  #71  
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Originally Posted by fransknorge
And of course dummy me takes the one example where a low level benefit applies alliance wide. You are correct. My example was an exception but my point is still valid: low level tier benefits usually apply only to the FFP metal, not alliance wide.
Can you specify which ones you have in mind that BA gives to its own bronze only? Most of the benefits I can think of (check in, boarding group, advance seat selection at a specific time, etc) are all extended to all OW Ruby and not just BA Bronze to be honest.
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Old May 22, 2018, 3:41 am
  #72  
 
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Originally Posted by orbitmic
Can you specify which ones you have in mind that BA gives to its own bronze only? Most of the benefits I can think of (check in, boarding group, advance seat selection at a specific time, etc) are all extended to all OW Ruby and not just BA Bronze to be honest.
Exactly what I am wondering too. On LH, having their FTL members (as opposed to Star Alliance Silver in general) access LH operated business lounges spring to mind, but that's not really BA
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Old May 22, 2018, 3:48 am
  #73  
 
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No way.

The Bronze prima donnas are already bad enough, barging to the front of priority lines brandishing their rusty coloured card screaming 'I've got priority'
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Old May 22, 2018, 3:58 am
  #74  
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I guess somewhere in the future 'to offer a better deal to our bronze members' there will be the possibility of a bronze card holder being able to pay for access to the GC lounges to overcrowd them a bit more than they are already. It will be limited to those traveling on BA and BA lounges only but in the interests of making more and more and more money it will come. A few might even buy it but maybe not twice.

Perhaps at the same time silvers will be offered the opportunity to pay to use the first wing and F lounge. There's no end to the money making possibilities.
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Old May 22, 2018, 4:11 am
  #75  
 
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Talking

BA could just make a dedicated bronze lounge at LHR - Fill the fridges with special brew, have a fish & chip/kebab counter in the corner, an area with some slot machines and a bookies plus some big TVs blaring the lastest epidode of Jeremy Kyle!
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